Finally is Christmas!!

Christmas : Day 4

I'm sleeping and I hear some noise. Steps. I presume. Is it Meggie?? Maybe she can't sleep and she is looking for me?? I decide to wake up and go check the source of the noise. When I exit Meggie's room (well it's Roos' room) I step into Joppe who is also walking around the house. He was not expecting me and gets really scared. Babs is also awake because she has a bad cold and cannot breath...so the 3 of us decide to go downstairs and have a little party with hot chocolate and cookies! At 5am we decide that it's time to go back to sleep! I wake up around 10am, no one is around. Wouter, Babs and the kids are in the living room watching "Ratatouille" (the Dutch version!!)! But we have ro rush again...still some shopping to do! So Wouter and I are off to AH, Blokker and Hema! Then we have to get ready for our Christmas dinner! Bart is finally arrived and we are all invited at Marlous!! Babs makes a meringue chocolate dessert and as usual I eat too much!!! Our time in Holland is over...we have to drive back to Paris...tomorrow is Christmas!

Christmas : Day 3

It's already Sunday! We have to check out early from the hotel because we have to be at Evelien's around 10h30am! Not easy task to fit all the presents in the luggages! When we all succed we drive to Veghel and pay a visit to Eveline, Bjorn, Sela & Jesse! It's always so nice to see friends! Then we are off again to Marlous's! And big surprise : Wouter's grandmother is there too! Oma Louise, is one of my favorite people, probably the only one who accepteded me when I first came in the Deuss-Looten family! We spend some time translating from Dutch to Italian or English to French : is caotic but warm caotic! Marlous prepares a wonderful meal and we all sitting and eating together! Time goes fast and it's already 2pm and my parents and Giovanni have to drive back to Dusseldorf! It's sad to see them leave but I'm happy that we had such a great time...Wouter drives them to the highway...Ciao mamma & papà al prossimo anno!

Christmas : Day 2

Our second day started slowly with a late wake up and a nice breakfast at the French café just around the corner! Then a nice stroll through the cute streets of Den Bosch for some late Christmas shopping (here in Holland there are already the sales!!) then a nice late lunch at Café Hart before going to meet my inlaws in Veghel. My mother in law is famous for her magnificent Christmas set up and you should have seen her house....lights and candles, little houses, big Christmas tree! A real Christmas treat!! Just little after Barbara (Wouter's sister) and her kids Joppe and Roos joined we started the the tradition of exchanging presents! Golden papers and pinky feathers were floating around and excited titters from the children were filling the air of the room! How nice to be all together!!
This warm afternoon ended with a panekoek in Zeeland! Gnammy!! Then back to Den Bosch, in our cute hotel where we take still the time to drink a thé before going to bed....!!

Christmas diary : day 1

The family Christmas week end is already over! Seems just yesterday when I was planning the last details of this mini trip to Germany and Holland and now I'm already back to Paris, back to work for couple of days before leaving on Dec. 28th for London.

The week end was a great success, everything went by the book, everyone had a wonderful time, plus we were blessed with a clement weather and the good mood of the family.

Wouter, Meggie and I, left Paris on Thursday late afternoon and arrived in Bruxelles around 9pm, just in time to watch this amazing lights and music show on the Grand Place, followed by a light dinner before going to bed in our beautiful suite at the Royal Windsor! Next day, Friday 21th, after a delicious breakfast we were off to Dusseldorf to pick up my parents who were arriving from Turin. We got to Dusseldorf Airport half an hour late and finally met with my family. After picking up Gio's car we drove to the center of Dusseldorf and parked in the fancy Konigsallee. Lunch at Barolo's restaurant and stroll throught the beautiful Christmas markets of Dusseldorf! Around 6pm when we started to be frozen and tired we decided to drive towards Holland, where we arrived around 8pm!
Checked in at the Hotel Central in Den Bosch, we finished this intense day with a great dinner at the Brasserie on the Markt Plein, then all very exhausted but very happy we went to bed!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Hello everyone...I just wanted to drop a quick line to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years. I'm here at work and so is Nancy. We were both stuck working on Christmas..It's not too busy considering I have a moment to write on the blog...lol..So my day will probably be very long..lol..Everyone will be coming over to my house for dinner today. In total there will probably be 31 people there celebrating Christmas. Then we're all going to Nancy and John's place for drinks and karaoke...can't wait for that. But then I'm back to work in the morning so I can't really go over board...we'll see...lol.... So everyone have a safe a fun holiday season and I'll see you all again next year....party hardy!!!! Buon Natale!!!!! Ciao!!!!!

Going to Weihnachtsmarkt in Dusseldorf!

Last Christmas....

12 days to Christmas!

How come I could not find 5 minutes to write?? How it is possible that more than a month passed by since my last post?? Maybe because I worked too much, I travelled to Rome and Barcelona "on duty" and to Turin and Lyon for leisure, I took care of the family and of the apartment and I was also sick for almost two weeks! Nevertheless I'm sorry, again, for this long absence from "amiche e sorelle"! Even Norma is posting more than me! By the way it's great that Norma keeps informing us about her life!
12 days to Christmas! Can you believe it??? And for me Christmas this year is going to be couple of days sooner! I explain : every year we have to choose if we are going to spend Christmas in Italy or Holland! Holland is a better choice if you want to enjoy a full Christmas's experience! On the other hand in Italy there is my family! Jeez so difficult to choose! So this year I came up with a new and brilliant solution! I bring my family (meaning parents + brother) to Holland for a pre Christmas! We will celebrating Christmas on Dec 22nd! Yes my mom has to be back in Italy before December 24th because she refuses to leave alone her 88 years old dad on Christmas day, which I can understand! But who cares if Christmas is on Dec 22nd or Dec 25th?
Christmas is about being with the loved ones...and the date is just an option!!

The next day!!!

Well hello everyone..it's me Norma here. Yes, it's finally the 6th of December and I have survived my birthday yesterday. It was kinda tough considering I am getting older but people just keep on telling me it's only a number. That's bull!!! Many people have wished me happy birthday which was really nice..it kinda makes you feel special on your day! But what I wanted to say was thank you to you Olga, for the messages and the text. I have received all of them and I thank you for remembering me once again over seas. It means a lot!!! Now I have to concentrate on a few more birthdays and finally start Christmas shopping which I truly hate!!! LOL...People this time of year are just miserable and I can't believe how people sometimes forget what Christmas is really all about. It's about family not how much you buy for someone. But that's just my opinion! Anyways, I gotta run...got an appointment. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a happy and safe one!!!
Talk to you soon!!!

Auguri Norma!!!

Per Nancy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR NANCY!!

Vampires!!

We used to have models walking over our heads. Skinny Russian models with no manners. Living the Parisian life. Which means going out late coming back early in the morning , getting drunk and forgetting to take off the offensive high hills when back home. These nightly creatures were replaced by two little monsters when we moved in the new appartment. One aged 5, the other 7! If the Russian models were making noise on Fridays and Saturdays these two fellows were working full time : 7/7! Then summer came and they moved away. And for a little time it was quite. When we thought that we were settled for peace and quiet our neighbours of downstairs started to make themselves remarked! Loud music, clacking doors in the middle of the night, strange people coming and going at the most odd hours. Couple of nights ago, at 1am the music was so loud that my pillow was wavering in tune...and before going hysterical I asked Wouter to go downstairs to ask these people to stop! I heard him talking and couple of minutes later he was back! He put his head in the bedroom and shouted "Fuc*ing scarry! Our neighbours are vampires!!" I started laughing and asked him " What are you talking about, Vampires??" Many days after we are still wondering if the boys downstairs were getting ready for a Halloween's party or they normally wear black lipstick and gothic shirts...Any how Wouter told me that this was the first and the last time he would go visiting our neighbours...the Vampires!!

Long time no speak!!!

Hey there..it's me Norma!! It's October 28th and I'm here at work and had a bit of time to come on and say hello. I haven't been here in a while so I thought I would share with you what's been happenening so far in my life!! Today is a very long day, not to busy here at work and I'm quite tired considering I went to bed 3 in the morning. A whole bunch of us went to Canada's Wonderland to celebrate the halloween feast that happens in the month of October til Halloween night. It was a scary and funny night. We all had a fantastic time but it was the most coldest night so far..rain and wind all night long!! But we manage to have a great time walking around and going on rides and through mazes. It did get late..it was from 7pm til 1am. They extended the hours due to the amount of people that where there in the park. I could not believe my eyes. I have never seen Wonderland so busy in my life and yet we were able to enjoy some on the rides and walk though the scary mazes. It was an experience and I'll probably do it again next yr. So today I'm paying for it and I just can't wait to get to my bed as soon as I get home.
Other than that..life has been busy with wedding showers,weddings,birthdays or just going out for a drink. Life has been better these days since Steve and I got together. It's been now 3 months and things are great. Him and I met at a bar he use to work at so I have know him for a few years. Who would have ever thought him and I would get together. We are both so glad that it did happen. So...we'll see what the future holds. Well..that's it for today..I gotta get back to work. I will keep you posted on what the future brings and all that sort of stuff!!! Be back soon!!!

Memoirs ...

So many days without a word from me. Exactly 25 days. I even thought that this was the end of "amiche e sorelle". Maybe a new blog, in a new language. But then I love this blog too much. So here I am, again. Many things have happened and yet it's still all the same. Family, work, friends. Family is getting bigger. Barbara, Wouter's sister, is pregnant. Micaela filled the papers to go separete ways from Francis and probably, this time, she will go through with it. Meggie is growing too fast and starting to object to all we say. My brother turned 36. Wouter is dreaming of a house in Tuscany. South Africa won the Rugby World Cup. I'm busy busy organizing the first Warwick event in Rome. This is "my" event and it has to be perfect. Then I'm also busy organizing Christmas'trip to Holland (which by the way is just 60 days away!), New Year's Eve in London and the big expedition to Canada, next year. Little time remains for doing all the other things I love...but I still try to steal little time to read my zen book "L'art de la simplicité" and to watch some nice movies...and apart from the boring, pretentious "The good shepard" I have been quite lucky in my choices. Couple have touched my heart "Blood diamont", "Cinderella Man" and the beautiful Memoirs of a Geisha! Before going to buy my lunch I want to end this post with a phrase that tells so much about me : " I don't want things, I want moments".

One day at the beach...

Like - Don't like

We are becoming like Parisians, we spend the week end away from Paris! After 5 full days working and running in Paris we love to spend our days off away from the craziness of the city. This time was Geneva, Switzerland. Last Friday, on my montly extra day off, we took of around 4pm and we landed in Geneva exactly 50 minutes later. It took us longer from our place to the airport, actually!! Our good friend Fred was waiting for us and he drove us to Christine and John's house where we styaing. Guys what a lovely house! Meggie was so happy to meet Alicia and Maximilien and not even 1 minute later she was gone with them playing!! Wouter and I were showed the pool villa where we would have slept! Jeez the pool villa!! By 6pm we were having the aperitivo in the garden with John and we waited for Michele to join us for dinner by the lake! Saturday started slowly with a long and nice breakfast, chatting and laughing! Then in John's big car we all drove to Nyon to give a look! Yes, because one of the option we are evaluating if, one day, eventually, we move away from Paris is Switzerland. Yes I am missing Switerland...! Why this country??? For two main reasons : one it's couple of hours drive away from my parents, second we have friends living there! But there are also other reason why we came up with such an idea : Geneva is considered one of the best places in the world where to live, there is almost no pollution, the countryside is beautiful and Switzerland is known for its strong economy worldwide especially in finance and banking. So I decided to give a look around as a potential place where to move...one day! And here what I like and what i dislike! Little city with a very convenient airport, no line at customs, friendly people...the countryside is really pretty but the city....is... misses something! First thing it's not Paris....!! Duh...!! I know that I cannot make comparisons but ...still...! Paris is Paris and I will always be in love with "her" even if, one day, I will be living somewhere else!

Random

I have so many stories to write and so little time to do it...! Every day I say to myself " Olga you should write about this episode, or that fact of my day, it would be nice to share this with the one of two people who read this blog"...then million of other things come up and I end up without posting a single word on amiche e sorelle. Ok now in totally random order some of my thoughts : Is it just a coincidence that everytime I think of the subject of a post, Petite Anglaise writes a beautiful "piece" with the same ideas I had in mind??? Then she gets at least 75 comments, and I decide not to write the post because it would just a bad copy???? Just a little example....she write a delighful post about her daughter wanting to have red hair like Ariel...well I have been this close to write the exact same story! Meggie since forever wants to have red hair, just like the Little Mermeid! And I jump in horror thinking of those beautiful almost white hair ...being dyed in red!!! I hate being judgemental. I try not to be but sometimes I can't help it! And here it's why. I have told you about my friend Micaela. The one I used to go to school to and that lives just next door here in Paris. I told you also about her marriage problems. Well, she is still, one year after, in the same shit. And she doesn't see that he is the bad guy! But why in the hell she doesn't see it??? So I told her that I try to understand but deep down I don't! I have a diffult time at work. My boss and my colleagues are all very demotivated. I am too. Well I am working a lot, organizing the first workshop in Italy, which I want to be a success but I am really fad up to work like a dog and never get a compliment. Sometimes a simple thank you would be also welcome. And I don't start with the salary....Even donkeys get a little carrot now and then. No carrots here. To be honest I did not start to search for a new job for the simple reason that next year, for my 40, I want to go to Canada and I need my quota of holidays. Very simple like that. Paris. I love Paris. It's a fact. But sometimes this city gets to my nerves. It's so chaotic, dirty, and expensive that I don't see the beauty I came here for. Parisians are what thet are but as you know they are not famous for being friendly and some days I can tell you that this is not a urban myth. Thay can be real jerks. But this "urban rudness" is at home in London or NY too. It's just the problem of big cities. What I am wondering, for some months now, is if this is the right place for my family??? Oh I don't want anybody to think that I regret to have made the decision to come back to Paris! It was the best choice I ever made in my life. It saved me and saved my marriage. But now that things are really good I would like to offer to my family a more confortable place where to live. And here in Paris confortable goes with too many zeros!A nice appartment, in a nice area can cost more than a milion euro! Sometimes I dream of having a nice house, with a lovely kitchen with a view on a little and blossomed garden. And we cannot have this in Paris. And another thought comes to visit my mind, early in the morning and sometimes late at night. To have another child.

We remember

From Canada...

Hello from Canada, and a special Cherrio from England. Our vacation was great, now I understand why you love to travel sooo much, there are many incredible things to see in this world, Love ya Nancy